Unexpected Surprises
by Kate84
Summary: Chapter 7 is up! The continuation of Such Sweet Sorrow. Doug and Carol come back. Carter is having problems, there's a bomb threat, and Elizabeth has to decide whether to save Abby's life or not.
1. Default Chapter

Unexpected Surprises   
  
While Carol was in Seattle with Doug, the rest of the staff continued their hectic life in the ER. Without their head nurse everything went totally crazy but they managed it.   
In Seattle Carol and Doug had a whole day alone before they went back to get the twins who were with Carol's mother.   
  
"Hi", Carol just woke up while Doug had been awake a half hour.  
  
"Hi, did you sleep well?" Carol nodded and smiled at the man she finally had realised was the one and only for her. "Yeah, like a baby". Doug slid his finger through Carol's hair. "God, I've missed you". He took his arms around her and kissed her gently.  
  
A couple of hours later, when they finally got out of the shower, Carol made a picnic basket while Doug prepared the boat.  
They drove to a little island that Doug had discovered when he was on sightseeing. He had spent hours thinking about Carol there, and he had also called the island "Carol" instead of it's original name "Little Louie".   
  
Meanwhile in Chicago, a RTA came in. Abby and Kovac took it.   
A family on three had been serious injured. "CBC, Chem-7, order a head CT and a chest film. Now!".   
  
"Where's my daughter?"   
  
"Lydia, find out where the daughter is", Luka said as he took a fast look at Abby who didn't look good.   
  
"Ok". Lydia went out from the trauma room while Carter came in. "Need any help?".   
  
"No, check with dr. Greene next door."   
  
"She's not breathing!", Lily informs him.   
  
"Ok, bag her!". Kovac looked at Abby. "Abby, start CPR. Abby!". Abby looked uncertain at Luka before she reacted.  
  
"I think I have to throw up".   
She ran out of the trauma room while Luka continued his work.   
  
"Hi! Welcome ladies and gentlemen. We will take off in about five minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and put bags and purses either under the seat in front of you or over you in the cabinet. Thanks for choosing "Air Chicago". We wish you a very nice flight."  
  
"I can't wait to see my girls", Doug said. Carol smiled at him. "I'm glad we're all going to be together again. Unfortunately, my mother doesn't see it that way".  
"Don't worry, honey. When we are at the plane on our way back with our beautiful daughters, your mother will love me. Just trust me".   
  
"I think the "love" is a little strong word. Why don't you concentrate about how you're going to get her to talk to you. In spite that I have tried to tell her that you didn't abandon me when I was pregnant, she thinks you ran away as soon as the word "responsibility" hit your head.   
  
"Well….It's a long flight, I've got a few hours to think out a plan". "Yeah, just make sure you don't loose more brain cells". Doug kissed her. "I promise".  
  
  
A few hours later landed Doug and Carol at Chicago airport. They grabbed their bags and went out to get a taxi. "So, have you worked out how you're going to get my mum to love you?" Carol looked at Doug who grinned.   
  
"Don't worry. I got the car ride home. Tell the taxi man to drive very slow". "Yeah, right". Carol laughed as they drove away from the airport.   
  
Meanwhile at County, the RTAs were rushing in. Abby felt ok again and assisted on one of the victims with Kovac. An half hour later it still didn't look too good.   
  
"Clear!". "Still v-fib", Lily informed him.   
  
"Damn it! Give him 5mg adrenalin and 1 amp. with atropine".   
"Should I set a central line?" "No! Of course not! Clear! Where's your head today, Abby?!" "I'm…I'm sorry". Abby stormed out of the trauma room and into the lounge.   
  
"What's the time, Lily?"   
  
"31 minutes".   
  
"Ok, that's it. Time of death: 09. 02." Luka threw his glows on the floor and walked fast out of the room. "Hi, Jerry. Have you seen Abby?"  
  
"Yeah, she ran into the lounge. She seemed very upset and sad, but if someone could comfort her, you're the man".   
  
"I don't think so. I said something that must have hurt her feelings".   
  
"Then get your head together and get your ass in there. She needs a man!", Haleh interrupted. "Alright, I'll go". Luka went to the lounge.   
  
  
"Ok, that's it, Doug. Have you figured out how you're going to pleas my mum?"   
  
"You know….the flight wasn't that long and..and..We bought chocolate, didn't we?"   
  
"Her favourites".   
  
"Thank God".   
  
They paid the taxi chauffeur and went inside where Helen had laid the twins on the floor. "Hi, mum".   
  
"Carol! You're back!" She hugged Carol but when she saw Doug behind her daughter, she didn't look overjoyed.   
  
"And….Doug..". "Hi, Helen. Nice to see you again". Helen smiled a false smile and shook his hand.   
  
"So, how are the girls, mum?"   
  
"They've been both perfect little angels".   
Carol went over to the blanket where Tess and Kate were laying. "Hello, little ones. Have you had a great time with Grandma, yeah". She lifted them up and went over to Doug. "I've got a surprise for you two. Say "hi" to daddy. Dad, say "hi" to your daughters". Doug said "hi" with a shaky voice. He hadn't imagined that it'd be so emotional to see his girls.  
  
"Hi, who are you?"   
  
"You are suppose to be their father, and you don't even know who's who!!!"   
  
"Mum! Doug haven't seen them before in live. The only chance he's got was to see them at some pictures I've sent to him! You got Kate and this is Tess".   
Doug chose to ignore Helen's comment and looked at Kate. He couldn't believe he was finally holding one of his little girls.   
An hour later, Carol, Doug and the twins left the house. Before they were flying back to Seattle Doug and Carol wanted to say hello to their friends in the ER.   
  
  
"Busy day, Jerry?" Carol asked.   
  
"Tell me about it. Carol! Hey, welcome back. Please say you're staying. Hey, Doug! And the little Rosses. This is my lucky day!   
  
"She's not staying and neither are we. We're going back to Seattle in a couple of hours. "Too bad, I was hoping to hang out with my best friends".   
Both Carol and Doug, with Tess and Kate in each arm, turned around seeing Mark walking towards them.   
  
"Mark!", Carol said. Doug hugged him and Mark tickled Tess who sat on her father's arm. "How're doing, buddy?"   
  
"I'm ok".   
  
"I'm so sorry about your dad. Carol told me. I was going to call you but I wanted to wait a couple of weeks. I have little problems with emotional conversations on the phone and…. everywhere else when I think about it. I'm just not that kind of a guy".   
Then Carter came.   
  
"Hi Carol, hi Doug".   
  
"Hi, Carter. How have you been?" Carter stopped and then he remembered that Carol had left for Seattle before he went to rehab.   
  
"Well, you know…ok". Then without saying anything he kept walking like he hadn't seen anyone. Doug stirred at Carter.   
  
"What the hell have happened to him?"   
  
"He's been tasting some drugs. It's a long story, I'll tell you later", Mark said.   
  
  
When Haleh went into the lounge she saw a couple of the staff on the couch.   
"Oh! Sorry. I'm out of here, and don't forget to close the windows when you're done. It's not as hot in here as you guys think".   
  
Haleh left with a smile on her face. "Hey, Chuny! Want to hear some gossip?". Chuny left Paulie, a big, dirty guy who was back for cleaning.   
  
"Always".   
  
"Guess who I surprised in the lounge?"   
  
"I don't know. I think I saw Doug and Carol a little while ago".   
  
"Yeah, they're back for an hour or so but it's not them although they also used to hide. Especially hidden by curtains and stuff".   
  
"How do you know?"   
  
"I always found them. No, you see, the couple on the couch was Abby and Luka".   
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
"Oh no! They were all over each other".   
  
"Well, then we have to take a secret picture of them to the yearbook". Without noticing, Kerry had been standing behind them and heard every word.   
  
"That's great. Don't you have some patients to take care of? A Paulie is still dirty". Weaver limped to the lounge where Luka and Abby were talking.  
  
"What are you doing here? Abby! Malucci has a couple of patients for you. Kovac, even though it's a slow day there's always an ear infection on this time a year!"  
Kovac went out of the lounge. By the desk he ran in to Jerry.   
  
"Hey, dr. Kovac. How did it go with Miss Lockhart?"   
  
"We made out…obs…up. Everything is alright again".  
  
"Oh, believe me…, I know", Jerry said and smiled when he left to answer the phone.  
  
Meanwhile Carol and Doug had had a great time, however short, with their friends, especially Mark and Elizabeth.  
  
"Doug, we have to go soon so I'll go and change the girls' nappies".   
  
"I'll help you", Elizabeth said. They took the twins to the lounge while Doug wanted to talk to Mark before they left.   
  
"This has been a great day. So, man to man, when is the big day?"   
  
"We've not decided yet. I want this Christmas but Elizabeth thinks it's too soon. You know women, they want to have a lot of time to plan".   
  
"Well, that's one of the biggest differences between men and women, and…of course….you know".   
  
In the lounge Elizabeth and Carol are busy changing dirty nappies and chatting. Suddenly Malik popped his head in.   
  
"Dr. Corday, Benton needs you in trauma room 1".   
  
"Ok, I'll be right there. Let me know when you leave, Carol. Bye, girls".   
  
Elizabeth left for trauma room 1 where Benton was trying to convince a young girl that surgery wasn't dangerous.   
"Alright, Peter. I'll take it from here".   
  
"Make her accept an appendectomy. I'll go upstairs and fix an OR. I'm counting on you, Elizabeth, so don't disappoint me".   
  
As Benton left the trauma room Elizabeth sat down next to the patient.   
  
"Someone have had a bad morning. He's usually not that grumpy although he's never laughing either. He told me that you don't want to have surgery. You know that we hadn't said you needed surgery if you didn't. Appendicitis is very serious if it's not treated and I'm not just saying this to get someone to cut in".   
  
"I…I know but isn't there any other way to fix me, antibiotics or something?"   
  
"I'm afraid not. Why don't you want the surgery, Melissa?" Melissa took a long look around in the room before she said something.   
  
"It's a long story".   
  
"I got time".   
"2 years ago my mother got a brain tumour, and since the tumour was so little, the doctors was 100 % sure that my mum would be okay again".   
  
"But something happened, right…?"   
  
"Yeah, something went wrong and she died. They said she'd be okay and she died. I've never trusted a doctor since then".   
  
"I know you'd not believe me but nothing will happen to you. If you don't have the surgery, you'll be very sick and you could also end up dead. You can, if you want though, be awake during the entire surgery. Just please, think twice before you do something drastic".   
  
"Hey, Elizabeth! We have to go now. The plane leaves in two hours". Carol said from the door.   
  
"Oh, yeah. I'll be there in a minute. Can you please think about it?" Melissa nodded and Elizabeth went out to say goodbye to Doug, Carol and the twins.   
When they had left, she went in to see Melissa again. She has changed her mind and thanks to Elizabeth she was on her way up to the OR.   
  
After finishing a patient Luka went to the desk where Abby was standing. "Hi, Abby. How are you holding up?"   
  
"I don't know. I think I'm coming down with something. I've had a terrible headache the past few days".   
  
"It's probably just the flu. I'm sure there's no problem if you go home". Abby shook her head.   
  
"No, I'm fine". She grabbed a chart and left. Luka stayed by the desk and suddenly an old man started to talk to him.   
  
"Hey, doc! You've got to help me". "Sure, what's the problem?" "I think my water broke". Kovac took an other look at the patient to be sure that he wasn't hallucinating. Yeah, it was an old man.  
  
"Excuse me?" he said.   
  
"I'm having my second contraction. Ouch!"   
  
"Don't worry, I'll find you a bed and everything will be okay".   
  
The old man smiled. "You're a nice doctor. Are you married?"   
  
"No, unfortunately not, but I'm still looking. You can lay down here".   
  
"Thank you. What a coincidence, so am I! You know, single…Are you free on Saturday?"   
  
"No, I'm working".   
  
"That's okay. I'll bring a picnic basket, and we'll have lunch".   
  
"I'll be right back". Kovac found Lydia. "Can you call psych? I have an old man who claims he's pregnant and having contractions".   
  
"Now I've seen everything", Lydia said and dialled the number to the fifth floor.   
  
  
"Hey, Luka. Seen Abby lately?" Malucci said.  
  
"Yes, a little while ago before an old pregnant man asked me on a date on Saturday".   
  
"Okay Dokey". Malucci decided to grab a cup of coffee before he continued looking for Abby. When he opened the door to the lounge he saw someone lay on the floor. He took an extra look when he saw who it was. "Oh my God!" He ran out of the lounge yelling.   
"Help! I need some help in here! Malik, bring a gurney! Hurry up!"   
  
Malik didn't understand what Dave was screaming about but he did as he was told. In the lounge Malucci tried to wash away some of the blood but it continued coming out. Carter heard the noise and wanted to check it out.   
  
"What's up?"  
  
"Carter, help me! Malucci shouted.   
  
When Carter saw what was happening he screamed and suddenly he got a flashback from the stabbing. "Oh my God!"  



	2. Help!

Unexpected Surprises, part 2, "Help!" by Kate  
  
  
"Hello! Welcome to "Air Seattle". We hope you will have a comfortable flight". Carol and Doug were sitting with a kid each on their laps. Doug who sat by the window pointed out.  
  
"Look, Tess. There's a plane and now we're soon going up in the air. But don't worry, Daddy's here. And you", he turned to Carol, "do not have to worry either, honey, because Dougy's here taking care of my three beautiful girls".  
When the plane finally had come up in the air, Carol and Doug laid back with the girls in their arms. Soon both Kate and Tess drifted off to sleep.  
  
Meanwhile at County some of the staff was busy trying to find out what was happening.  
  
"Somebody page dr. Greene and get Corday or Benton down here now!!!" Malucci tried to stay calm but it wasn't easy being the only doctor since Kerry had a MI patient in curtain 3 and Carter almost pasted out.   
  
Dave and Malik got her on the gurney and ran to trauma room 2.   
"Chuny, call the blood bank. We need at least 6 units of O neg".   
For some reason both Benton and Corday were paged and came down quickly after they got the message.  
  
"Hey, what do we got?" Benton asked as he put on his glows. Before any managed to say anything else, Corday came in looking at the patient.  
  
"Oh my God! Abby! What have happened?"  
  
"I found her in lounge", Malucci said. "I don't know how long she's been unconscious".  
  
  
Corday looked at her and she tried to wipe some of the blood.  
"There's blood everywhere, it could be a vaginal bleeding. Is there any possibility that she might be pregnant?"  
None of them knew. Haleh looked at Chuny who looked back at Haleh.  
  
"I'll page Kovac. Maybe he knows". Benton looked questioning at Haleh.  
  
"Why should he know?"  
  
"You people upstairs miss a lot of interesting gossips. That's all I say!"   
Chuny found Kovac while the others worked on Abby in the trauma room.  
  
  
On the plane, Kate suddenly started to scream. For some reason she was terrible afraid. Carol tried to calm her down but nothing helped.   
When she finally stopped crying, the plane made a frightening movement.   
"What was that?!" Doug asked and looked out of the window.  
  
"I don't know", Carol replied. "Maybe some stones in the road".  
  
They laughed and tried to relax when one of the stewardess came out with a microphone.  
"We're having some problems and as caution we have to ask you to please put on your fly vests. Stay calm, it's just for caution".  
  
"What are we going to do?"  
This was the first time Doug had seen Carol being as scared as she was now.   
  
"Not much, I guess. We've got to wait and see. Don't worry, everything will be alright". He took his arm around Carol. In spite of what he said to calm down Carol, he didn't believe a word of it himself. He was so afraid that he could feel his heart up in this throat.  
Suddenly the plane started shaking and they could hear the captain yell into his phone.  
  
"Mayday! Mayday! Flight 203, Chicago - Seattle is in trouble! Mayday! Mayday!  
  
  
Then the plane made a frightening change and the passengers could feel the plane fall. They heard the wind outside. Children were screaming and parents tried to stay calm for them.  
Carol and Doug held around each other and the twins. "Please, say it's a dream, Doug! Please!" Carol cried. Doug looked at her.  
  
"I love you, Carol. Please remember that. And you two". He looked at Kate and Tess and kissed them before he kissed Carol.  
  
  
When the plane hit the ground, Carol and Tess were thrown forwards while Doug and Kate were squist between the seats. Because of the speed the plane had hit the ground with, it started to burn.   
Some of they who survived the crash and was conscious and was able to get on their feet, dragged people out of the wreck.   
Some of the passengers were already dead. About 5 minutes later, was Doug awake. He couldn't feel his left leg and arm because the seats had squist it. In his other arm Kate was laying still and unconscious with major injuries. Doug tried to wake her but without success.  
  
"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY! HELP!"  
  
An elderly man in his early sixties came running.  
"Thank God", Doug said. "You've got to help me. My daughter's unconscious and I'm stuck. If I get out I'd might be useful. I'm a doctor". The man took carefully little Kate in his arms and lay her in a seat. Then he bent the seats a part.   
  
"In spite of my age, I have a lot of muscles. Let's get out of here as soon as possible".  
  
"No! Wait! My…girlfri…wife and daughter are here somewhere else. You've got to help me find them too. Please!"  
  
"Alright! But that better be quick. The plane is about to blow in the air any second. It's burning terribly".  
Doug and the elderly man, who had introduced himself as Leo, searched through the whole plane without finding Carol or Tess. Doug started to panic and wanted to go through the plane again but Leo stopped him. "Maybe they're outside. Many injured and, I'm afraid, dead are outside". They could hear the sirens outside and Doug limped out with Kate in his arms. There were about 15 ambulances, and Doug limped to one of them.   
  
"Can you take my daughter while I look for my wife and second daughter?"  
  
"Sure. Are you alright, sir?"  
  
"Not to I find the rest of my family. Which hospitals are you guys driving to?"  
  
"The nearest, County, St. John, Merc…"  
  
"County"!!!  
  
"Yeah, you're not as far away as you think. The plane barely took off before it fell down again".  
  
"Ok., drive her to County. Tell them I'll be there when I have found the others".  
  
"And you are?"  
  
"Doug Ross. I was a paediatrician there two years ago".  
  
The paramedic took Kate to County where everybody was busy as hell. 3 minutes after the ambulance left, the plane exploded! Doug threw himself away from the explosion but suddenly he felt he was burnt. In killingly pain he started to cry. He had realised that it was a very little chance that he'd find Tess and Carol. He had probably lost them now. He had trouble breathing and terrible pain in his entire body when he finally passed out. . . .   



	3. Under Pressure

Unexpected Surprises part 3, "UNDER PRESSURE"  
  
  
At County everyone was watching the news except from they who was working with patients.   
In trauma 2 dr. Corday was still working on Abby.  
  
"She's bleeding as hell. Get some more units of O neg. I need an ultrasound!"  
  
"V-fib".  
  
Elizabeth took the paddles. "Charging 260! Clear!   
  
"Still v-fib".  
  
"Charging 300. Clear! 360! Clear! She's back. Good sinus. Where the hell is the ultrasound!  
  
"They're using it next door", Lily said.  
  
"Then get me another one! Call the OR!"   
  
A nurse came in with an ultrasound. "Finally! As I suspected", Elizabeth said. She's got an ectopic pregnancy, and now a miscarriage. She needs surgery immediately!"  
Corday was just going to drive the gurney with Abby when Jerry stopped her.  
  
"You have to stop!"  
  
"What?! If she don't get the operation she'll die!"  
  
"I know", Jerry said. "But someone called and said there's a bomb in the hospital. They'll fire it off if someone works".  
  
"Oh God! No! I have to go up! Abby will die! I can't wait".  
  
"But what can we do? The whole hospital will go up in the air".  
  
"Do Mark or Kerry know about the bomb?"  
  
Jerry nodded. "Yeah, they're in the lounge trying to figure something out".  
  
Elizabeth thought about it a few seconds before she spoke. "Okay. Lily, call the blood bank and tell them we need at least 6 units of 0 neg. I have to check something. I'll send Malucci in".  
  
Elizabeth went strait to the lounge where Kerry and Mark were working hard under a lot of pressure.  
  
"I need a word with you two".  
  
"Hey, Elizabeth. How's Abby?"  
  
"Not good. That was what I wanted to talk to you about. Jerry told me about the bomb".  
  
"We don't know if it's true or not", Kerry said, "but we just can't take any chances"  
  
Elizabeth nodded. "I know, but I don't know how long Abby can live without an operation. She's bleeding as hell and she's getting worse every minute".   
  
"We have to do something very fast but we have to think about the rest of the hospital too", Mark said.  
  
Kerry took a slurp of her coffee. "Is she strong enough to be transferred to Mercy or St. John?"  
  
"No".  
  
Suddenly Lily came running in. "Dr. Corday! We're losing her!"  
  
Elizabeth stormed out. In trauma 2 Malucci was trying to get a pulse.   
  
"She stopped breathing", he said.  
  
"Okay, that's it! We'll first get her stabile and then we're taking her upstairs!"  
  
"But, Corday", Dave started, "what about the bomb?"  
  
"I don't know. What if the bomb was fake and we just watched Abby die? I must give her a chance".  
  
Then Luka came in. "I didn't get my page before now. Abby! What have happened?"  
  
"Malucci found her unconscious on the floor in the lounge. The ultrasound showed an ectopic pregnancy. Did you know she was pregnant?"  
  
"Pregnant? No, I don't even she knows herself. Is it bad?"  
  
"It could be. A while I thought I'd lose her because of the blood loss, and now I hope she gets an operation as soon as possible. If she doesn't. . . ".  
  
"What do you have to do?"  
  
"Well, since it all started because of a miscarriage I'll have to remove the rest of the embryo and make sure she's not bleeding".  
  
"No hysterectomy then?"   
  
"I hope not. If it's necessary I'll have to save her life instead of her uterus. I'm sorry".   
  
"I understand. And I know Abby does too".  
  
"There's nothing we can do for the baby because that's dead but we can save Abby. I'm going up now. I'll let you know how when I'm finished".   
  
Elizabeth took the bed with Abby and went upstairs. Everything seemed to go very well when a nurse came in.  
  
"Dr. Corday. I've got a message from dr. Romano".  
  
"What does he want?"  
  
"He says you have to stop the surgery immediately".  
  
"What! I can't stop now. It will kill the patient. He must be a complete idiot!!!"   
  
"I thought you'd might react that way" Romano came in.  
  
"Robert".  
  
"Bingo, Lizzie. Now, you heard the nurse".   
  
"I'm middle in an operation. There's no way I'm leaving this theatre before I'm finished. Suction, please".   
  
"There's a bomb threat at the hospital and we could be blown up in the air anytime if we perform procedures. As I see it, it's up to you".  
  
"I'll take all responsibility".  
  
"Yeah! I can see that in the newspapers. The entire County was blown up in the air because of one doctor who denied to do what she was told. That would be popular".  
  
"What would you have done, then? Let her bleed to death?"  
  
With that Romano walked out and 5 minutes he came back.   
  
"May I assist?"  
  
Elizabeth was almost too shocked to answer but she eventually managed to say something. "Of. . . of course. . . ".  
  
"You see", Romano began, ". . I like doctors like you. Doctors who'll do almost everything for their patients. That's the kind of doctors who get respect. You're improving. Suction, please". Romano continued. "It looks like you've done a great job. When I think about . . . . What was that!?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The shaking. Didn't you feel it?"  
  
"No. What shaking?"  
  
"Never mind".  
  
Down stairs in the ER everyone was running and screaming, it was totally chaos. Luka came down from the waiting room outside the OR. "What the hell have happened?!" he asked Carter.  
  
Carter looked at him and began to smile and laugh before he left. Luka headed to the admin. desk where Kerry ran into him. "Kerry! What have happened?"  
  
"First we thought it was the bomb that was fired off. Even though this just was a stink bomb all the patient and some of the staff thought it was the real bomb. How's Abby?"  
  
"Corday and Romano are working on her now. If they are quick no one of the bomb people will notice. They think she'll be fine".   
  
"I'm so glad on yours behalf. On the top of all this, we'll get victims from a plane crash. The first ambulance will be here in approximately three minutes. We need your help".  
  
"Sure. I'll get ready to take the first one's".   
  
Kerry limped to the desk where Jerry tried to control the patients, and Randi discovered she'd to work for the first time or so.  
  
"Chuny! Haleh! Malik! Clear the trauma rooms!" Kerry yelled. Then, before she managed to think the first ambulance was there. A paramedic came in, followed by Luka.   
  
"Robbie Read, 53 y/o, possibly a ruptured spleen, complains about abdominal pain and nausea. He says he was on his way to dialyses. BP 100/60".  
  
"On the plane? Let's get him in trauma 2", Kerry said.  
  
"Hey, doc". The paramedic interrupted. "I have a badly injured child here too".  
  
Kerry stopped. "I'll take this. Take the child to trauma 1, Luka. Lily! Get Cleo!"  
  
Lily ran to get Cleo. When the paramedic came in with the child Luka didn't notice who she was. After finding Cleo, Lily came to trauma 1. "Oh my God!" She said when she saw the injured child. "It's Tess!"  
  
"Damn it!" Luka exclaimed. Why hadn't he noticed who she was. He'd taken care of Carol's twins a million times. While Luka was trying to swallow the shock, Mark took the next patient from the plane crash.  
  
"Oh God! As I suspected", Mark said when he saw the patient.  



	4. Live

LIVE, part 4  
  
Mark took the gurney to trauma 2, Kerry's kidney - patient was moved to a suturroom, and on the way down the corridor he tried to get contact with the patient.  
  
"Carol! Carol! It's Mark! Do you hear me?"  
  
No answer.   
  
"Please, Carol, answer me. Okay, folks", he said to the staff around him, "let's order CBC, Chem-20, a head, neck and back CT. And someone get Benton down here!"   
  
"Babinski's negative", Haleh said.  
  
Mark opened her eyes. "And. . she's reacting on lights. Please wake up, Carol. This is the second time I see you like this. Please let the strength in you fight this time too".  
  
Mark thought it was awful to see one of his best friends like this. There was nothing that reminded him of the real Carol, the one he'd seen earlier that day. She used to have so much life but now was it nothing. Her entire soul seemed to be gone but as long as she was breathing and her heart was beating, she was still alive.   
  
--------------------------------------------  
A million stars light  
This beautiful night  
This is not a night to die  
Let me sing and dance  
Beneath the sky  
I have such love to give  
To give!  
I want a chance to live  
  
-Live (Céline Dion)  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Meanwhile Carol was fighting for her life at County, Doug had arrived at St. John. After taking a lot of test the doctors sent him to the ICU where he was sent to observation for the next 48 hours. A nurse was taking his BP when he woke up.  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"You're at the hospital. You were in a serious plane accident. Do you understand?"  
  
Doug rolled his eyes. "Of course I understand. This doesn't look like County".  
  
"That's because you're not at County. This is St. John".  
  
"What!!! Oh no! I've got to go to County! How did I get here?"  
  
"I'm sorry but you have to stay here for observation the next 48 hours. You have serious second degree burns on your back and you also hit your head. The paramedics found you unconscious on the ground after the plane exploded".   
  
"Oh no, no, no", Doug cried. He now remembered the explosion and he felt his back hurt. What if Carol and Tess still were on the plane. . .Not knowing anything was killing him more than his terrible pain. "Could you give me 5 mg morphine? My back is killing me. And could you arrange a taxi or something to County, it's very important?"  
  
"I'll talk to the doctor about some painkillers but you're staying here till you're discharged".  
  
"I can't stay! Listen, the rest of my family is at County. I don't know if my wife or my daughter even are alive but I do know that my other daughter's at County. I put her in an ambulance before the plane exploded. I need to be there with her. Don't you understand how important this is? Do you have children?  
  
The nurse nodded. "Yeah, I have".  
  
"Then do you understand me? I've got to be with my little girl".  
  
"I'll try to get you transferred as soon as possible"  
  
"Thank you".  
  
  
When the nurse returned she was followed by a doctor and they'd brought a gurney.  
  
"Hello, Mr .Ross". the doctor said. "I hear you want to be transferred". Doug nodded. "Nurse Watson will give you some morphine and then it's over to County. Do you mind telling me why that hospital is so popular?"  
  
Doug laughed. "I wouldn't say popular but to me it's a very special place. I met my love there. The love of my life, and my two beautiful daughters were born there, and my whole life is in that place. I used to work there and all my friends are there and. . . To us who work there County is a place between heaven and hell. Everything has happened there".  
  
" I see".  
  
Doug was lay on the gurney and taken down stairs to the ambulance. On the way to County he was thinking a couple of days backwards. When he was working on his boat and suddenly looked up to see Carol standing in front of him.  
  
  
-------------------Flashback-------------------------  
  
It couldn't be, he thought. Or could it? Carol? He started walking up to the woman he knew so well. She hadn't changed since he saw her last time. Her thick, dark and curly hair and her beautiful eyes and smile. She came forwards him. They stopped and looked at each other.  
  
"Where are the girls?" he asked.  
  
"They're with my mum", she replied looking at Doug before she took a quick look around her. "It's beautiful here".  
  
They smiled at each other before they kissed. She was finally home.  
  
---------------------End flashback--------------------------  
  
  
When Carol was stabilised she was brought up to the OR to stop an internal bleeding. In trauma 1 Cleo, Luka and Lily were trying to get Tess back. She was laying there without any signs of life, just like her mother.  
  
"Why did this happen?" Cleo asked.  
  
"I don't know. I don't know one knows", Lily replied looking sadly at the little girl on the gurney.   
  
Suddenly Yosh came in. "Dr. Kovac! The ICU called. Abby's crashing!"  
  
"Oh no! Do you got it, Cleo?"  
  
"Yeah, just go!".  
  
Luka ran out of the trauma room and up to the ICU were he saw Elizabeth with the paddles talking to a nurse.   
  
"Time of death: 15.12 pm".  



	5. This I Promise You

Unexpected Surprises, part 5 "This I Promise You"  
  
  
"NO!!" Luka screamed. "Please! Abby! I love you! Please don't leave me. Not you too!"  
  
As she heard Luka scream Elizabeth turned around. "Luka. Luka! Calm down. This is Mr. Galardini. We moved Abby to the next room.   
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah, everything is fine with her"  
  
"Thank God", Luka said. "I just got the message and.."  
  
"False alarm. I'm sorry".   
  
"Don't be. You just helped me making a very important decision. Thank you, Elizabeth. Can I see her?"  
  
"Sure", Elizabeth said.  
  
He walked out of the room while he was thinking about his feelings for Abby. He realised how much he loved her and how much she meant to him. "I've got to do it", he said to himself. Instead of seeing Abby he went down to the ER where everyone had slowed down a little.  
  
"Hey, Kerry. Is it ok if I go out an hour?"  
  
"There's been an plane crash, you know. Is it urgent?"   
  
Luka hesitated. "Well, not exactly but. . . ".  
  
"Just an hour, okay".  
  
"Oh, yeah. Thanks a lot, Kerry".  
  
"Go, before I change my mind".  
  
  
Luka ran out of the ER passing two ambulances. He was going crazy in his mind. It couldn't wait anymore. He had to do it. Today's incidences had made him realise how much he loved Abby. Even though it wasn't Abby Elizabeth was talking about earlier, he still could hear the words "time of death". He'd already lost Danijella and then Carol left him for Doug. He wouldn't be able to live if Abby left him too.   
  
Meanwhile Luka was out, injured people from the plane crash continued coming in. The staff noticed how needed Abby and Carol actually were during the traumas. The fact that their two best nurses were upstairs in the ICU fighting for their lives was unthinkable. At least Abby was on recovery but Carol was still more or less like a ticking bomb, just as uncertain as the bomb treat. From time to time stink bombs were released in different floors. OB, the NICU, the ER and Psych had all problems with the terrible smell from the bombs. Maybe it was a warning telling those guys were serious about the real bomb or just to scare the staff and patients off.  
  
Every 5-10 minutes since the surgery Peter and Elizabeth were checking on their colleagues. Seeing Abby breath on her own brightened everyone's mood but when Carol fell in a coma the happiness was gone again. No matter how much they tried to believe she'd be okay again, it didn't seem like it. Over the next hours Carol's destiny would be decided. Would she live or would she die?  
  
Unaware of Carol's critical condition Doug arrived at County. Kerry and Carter met him and brought him in to a suture room where he got some more morphine for the burning pain.   
  
"Kerry?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"How's Kate?"  
  
"She's fine", Kerry said. "Just a couple of bruises. I'm sure she was the luckiest passenger on the plane".   
  
"What . . What about Carol and Tess? Have you heard from them?" Doug could see on Kerry's face that it was serious. "Tell me, Kerry. What it is?"  
  
"They were brought in, both in very critical conditions. Peter and Elizabeth have operated on Carol and she's now in the ICU. Unfortunately she fell in a coma. It's still touch and go. We'll know if she'll live or if she'll end up brain dead in the next couple of hours, but I'm telling you now that it doesn't look good".  
  
"Oh no".  
  
"Tess isn't very well either. She went into cardiac arrest but Cleo managed to bring her back".  
  
"Oh God".  
  
"I want you to know that it doesn't look good for none of them, and that you have to prepare for the worst. It was a horrible accident and Tess and Carol were badly hurt. You and Kate were the lucky ones".  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"Kate?"  
  
"Yeah".  
  
"Upstairs, at Paeds".   
  
Doug pulled away his blanket. "Could you get me a wheelchair? I don't think I'm strong enough to walk".   
  
"Sure".  
  
Kerry helped Doug over in a wheelchair and took him to Paeds where Kate was laying in her crib. When Doug could see his daughter tears fell down his cheeks. She was ok. At least she was fine.  
  
"Hey, Katie. It's Daddy. Don't worry, everything will be okay again. I promise you. Yeah, I promise". He smiled looking at the little girl who smiled back at him. Yeah, she was ok. Doug took Kate's tiny hand and kissed it. "I promise you this, honey, that everything will be ok again. I know I have done a lot of stupid things, especially with your Mommy. I've hurt her too many times, Kate, and I promise that if she ever gets out of coma I'll marry her. My mistakes cannot be undone but I can try to forget them and look into the future with you, your sister and your beautiful mother".   
  
------------------------------------------------  
  
When the visions around you,   
Bring tears to your eyes   
And all that surrounds you,   
Are secrets and lies   
  
I'll be your strength,   
I'll give you hope,   
Keeping your faith when it's gone   
The one you should call,   
Is standing here all alone...   
  
And I will take   
You in my arms   
And hold you right where you belong   
Till' the day my life is through   
This I promise you   
This I promise you   
  
-This I Promise You (*Nsync)  
-----------------------------------------------  



	6. The Transmission

Unexpected Surprises, part 6, "THE TRANSMISSION"  
The song used in this part is "House at Pooh Corner" by Kenny Loggins  
  
In the ER injured from the plane crash still came running in. Carter arrived after being gone an hour. "Hey, dr. Carter! Where have you been?" Jerry asked.  
  
"Out for lunch", Carter replied  
  
"Well, anyway. I can't say I'd like to be in your shoes right now. Weaver's pissed".  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She says you ran out on her".  
  
Carter couldn't believe this. "I didn't run out on her! I went out for lunch. It was pretty quiet so I thought I'd take a break. And if Weaver's got a problem with that….."  
  
Carter headed to the lounge while Jerry couldn't believe his own ears. What was wrong with Carter? He sure wasn't the real Carter Jerry knew. Something wasn't right.  
  
"Hey! Jerry! Have you heard anything from Carter?" Kerry said, almost shouting.   
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. He just came back from lunch".  
  
"What! Lunch! He went out for lunch while we need all the doctors we have?! Where is he?"  
  
"In the lounge".  
  
Kerry limped to the lounge. Randi smiled at Jerry and took her lollipop out of her mouth. "I bet he's asleep".  
  
"Oh yeah?" Jerry said. "I bet he's watching TV".  
  
"How much?" Randi asked.  
  
Jerry found his wallet looking for money. "I don't get paid before next week. 5 bucks?"  
  
"You're on", Randi reached out her hand and Jerry shook it.  
  
They went in to the lounge where Kerry just had found Carter. She wasn't too happy. "Get up, Carter! A part from the injured from the plane crash we do have a lot of patients in the waiting room waiting for a doctor, and you're laying her watching TV. If I don't see you with patients the next couple of hours you're fired!"  
  
Kerry walked out of the lounge, and Carter was left with Randi and Jerry. "Is she PMS, or what?" Carter laughed.  
  
"Pay up, missy", Jerry said and reached out his hand. Randi handed him reluctantly the money. He put them in his wallet and smiled. "This means an extra ice cream after my dinner at McDonald's. Great!"  
  
Jerry went back to the admin. desk very happy followed by a not too overjoyed Randi. As much as she loved to bet she hated to lose. Carter grabbed his stethoscope and headed to the waiting room. The first thing he noticed was a really fat lady who was eating a bagel with a lot of pastrami and mayonnaise. "If you're here because of your weight problem or just because you can't see your feet anymore, you can go home, because that's the only thing we can do for you. When you are so fat as you are, you just need to get some exercise".   
  
The woman looked at Carter in shock before she rose and left crying. "Have a nice day!" Carter shouted smiling after her and turned to the waiting people. "So, who's next?"  
  
While Carter had humiliated the poor fat woman, Jerry had gotten another phone call about the bomb threat. In the crowd of patients and the staff he was able to track down Kerry.   
  
"Dr. Weaver. They called again".  
  
"Who? Who called again, Jerry?"  
  
"The bomb people. We don't have much time left".  
  
"I know. Mark and I discussed it earlier. We've called Mercy and St. John, and they agreed to divide our patients between them. We're evacuating the entire County".  
  
"Great. We have to get started right a way. The clock's ticking".  
  
"I'm aware of that, Jerry. Call Mercy and St. John and tell them that we're waiting for them to come. Tell them to come as soon and as many as possible. We need to be quick".  
Jerry made the phone call while Kerry began to organise the transmission. All the patients at the waiting room were sent home or told to go to the other hospitals. The message about the transmission was released in every floor, and soon the whole staff in the entire County started to prepare the patients for their little "trip". Most of the patients were okay but Kerry was very worried about Carol and Abby. Being transferred in their condition wasn't too good for them.   
  
When Doug got the message his mind went right to Carol and Tess, he didn't know Abby but he hoped she would be okay too. Last time he'd checked on them, Carol was still in a coma while Tess' little body was laying without any sign of life. She was intubated and machines were breathing for her. The plane crash had punctured one of her lungs and broken a couple of her ribs. It was very critical for both Carol and Tess, and moving them to another hospital wasn't the smartest thing to do right now. Fortunately Kate was fine and Doug got to hold her in his arms on their way to Mercy. While fighting against the terrible pain on his back after being hit during the explosion of the plane, Doug tried to calm Kate down who had began to sob. She was probably wondering where her mother was but Doug just kissed the little girl on the forehead and started to sing a song he used to love when he was a child.  
  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Christopher Robin and I walked along  
Under branches lit up by the moon  
Posing our questions to Owl and Eeyore  
As our days disappeared all too soon  
But I've wandered much further today than I should  
And I can't seem to find my way back to the wood  
  
So, help me if you can I've got to get  
Back to the house at Pooh corner by one  
You'd be surprised there's so much to be done  
Count all the bees in the hive  
Chase all the clouds from the sky  
Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh   
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
When Doug began to sing Kate stopped sobbing, and before he was finished she was sound asleep in his arms. At Mercy they were taken care of by a nurse. "Could you please give me some morphine for my back? I've got second degree burns from the explosion".  
  
"Dr. Doug Ross, right? Former paediatrician at County?" Doug nodded. "I'm sorry, but as a doctor you probably know how easy it is for addicts to get narcotics. I had to check".  
  
"I understand, and could you get some breast milk compensate too?" The nurse stared at him, and Doug laughed. "It's for my daughter. She must be hungry".  
  
"Sure".   
  
When the nurse left Doug looked down at his sleeping daughter, she seemed so peaceful. He took her little hand into his, and suddenly he discovered how much he enjoyed being a father. Since Carol wasn't here with him, he had all the responsibility for Kate. He wanted to be the best Daddy in the whole world for his little girls, he wanted to be the father he never was for his son. This time everything was going to be perfect, if only Tess and Carol would be okay.  
  
While Doug was feeding Kate, who now was awake, Carol and Tess were on their way to Mercy in two ambulances. Everything seemed to go as hoped when Tess fell in a coma. Cleo, who was with her, got very scared and had her heart almost up in her throat.   
  
"Please stay with us, Tess", she said over and over again.   
  
In the other ambulance Mark was with Carol. It was breaking his heart to see his friend like this. She was in a deep coma and who knew when or if she would wake up ever again. The chance was small, and she could have brain damage. Mark took Carol's hand in his.  
  
"Please come back to us, Carol, we need you. Doug, Kate and Tess need you. You're too good to leave us now". Mark felt tears in his eyes and tried to think about something else but it was impossible. "What a day, Carol. You and Doug are together again, it was about time though, you come back to get the twins, to be a family, Abby has a miscarriage and nearly dies, we get a bomb threat and have to evacuate the whole hospital to Mercy and St. John, you fall into a coma. This day has been full of surprises, unexpected surprises. I hate surprises like these. Especially when my best friends are involved".   
  
There were a lot of ambulances outside County and Luka was wondering what was going on. More accidents would prevent him from seeing Abby.   
"Kerry, what have happened? What's with all the ambulances?"  
  
"We're transferring the whole County to Mercy and St. John. We've got another phone call about threat".  
  
"Has Abby been transferred yet?"  
  
"No, she's still upstairs in the ICU".  
  
"And there's no improvement?"  
  
"No", Kerry said. "I'm sorry".  
  
"What about Carol and Tess?"  
  
"They're on their way to Mercy where Doug and Kate already are. Carol fell in a coma earlier so…"  
  
"Oh no", Luka said, thinking of Doug and the girls. "I'll go up to Abby. Page me if you need me".  
  
"Yeah".  
  
Luka went inside and headed to the elevator but decided to take the stairs when he saw all the patients waiting to get transferred. When he came up to the ICU he heard two doctors behind a curtain discussing a patient.  
  
"She was a nurse, right? What should we do with the body?"  
  
"I'm not sure. We're evacuating all the patients".  
  
"What about the dead ones?"  
  
"I don't know".  
  
"What was her name?"  
  
"Lockhart, Abby".  



	7. The Rescue

Unexpected Surprises, PART 7, "THE RESCUE"  
  
Spoilers: "Where the hearts is" ( I think )  
  
  
"Oh my God!" Luka exclaimed horrified.   
  
"Are you okay?" Doris asked.  
  
Luka looked around and realised it was just a dream. He was in the ambulance with Doris. Abby was laying on the gurney next to him, still breathing. "I..I ..It was just a dream. She's fine, isn't she?"   
  
"She is. Don't worry. Everything is going her way".  
  
"It's just that this is the second time today I almost lost her. Earlier today I got the message that she was crashing and when I came up to the ICU I heard Elizabeth call it. I thought it was Abby but it turned out to be a false alarm and the dead person was an elderly man. And in this dream I heard two doctors talk about where they were going to put her body. It seemed so real".  
  
"It's normal to be scared when something happens to someone you love, and it seems like you love her very much".  
  
"Yeah, I do. I didn't think I was able to love someone again after my wife died but Abby proved me wrong".  
  
"I'm glad to hear that. What happened to her? Abby, I mean?"  
  
"She had a miscarriage, and Malucci found her unconscious in our lounge. She was pregnant outside the uterus, so if she hadn't lost it she'd have to have an abortion anyway".  
  
"I'm sorry".  
  
A couple of hours later almost all the patients were divided between Mercy and St. John. The only patient left was Mrs. Parrish. Pamela Olbe and Dave had just gotten her in the ambulance when they heard a high crack. When they turned around they could see flames coming out of the ER and glass everywhere. It was the bomb.   
  
"Noooo!" Mrs. Parrish screamed. "Nooo! My daughter!"  
  
Dave immediately turned to the screaming woman. "What?!! Is your daughter inside?!"  
  
Mrs. Parrish nodded while she cried. She couldn't speak; it was like her mouth was paralysed. Thousands of thoughts went through Dave's mind before he decided to do it.  
  
Dave looked at Olbe who tried to calm Mrs. Parrish down. "Pam, can I barrow your jacket?" he asked while he watched the big flames still coming out the ER.  
  
"Sure…" she replied, not quite aware of what why he needed it.  
  
Olbe gave Dave her jacket. He grabbed it and put it on. Kerry, who hadn't gone to the other hospitals yet, began to understand what Dave was up to.  
  
"Mrs. Parrish, what is your daughter's name?"  
  
"Courtney", Mrs. Parrish managed to answer.  
  
"Dave! Are you crazy!" Kerry yelled after him while he headed to the entrance. He decided to ignore Kerry, as he usually did. When he was about to enter the ER where the doors were suppose to be, another explosion met him and he was thrown backwards.   
  
"DAVE!!" Kerry screamed and limped over to where Dave was lying screaming in pain. She could see that he was burned. Only by looking at his face she could see second - and maybe third-degree burns.   
  
"OUCH! MY BACK!!! IT HURTS!!!" he screamed while trying to get on his feet.   
  
"Pamela! Call Mercy and tell them to send another ambulance!" Kerry ordered and Pamela ran into the ambulance and called. Meanwhile was Dave at his feet again and headed to the rests of the burning and exploding ER.  
  
"DAVE!!!" Kerry yelled but she knew it was impossible to stop him. The only thing she could do was to wait and hope that he'd come out alive. If he ever did come out of the killing flames.   
  
  
At Mercy Doug was trying to see Tess and Carol. After the transmission all the patients were put in the few rooms that were available. The rest were lying in beds in the corridors through the whole hospital in their respective floors.  
Both Carol and Tess were two of the most critical patients and were lucky to get a bed in the ICU and PICU.   
  
Doug headed to the admin. desk in the ICU and PICU for some answers. "Hey! Can I get some information here?"  
  
"Can I help you?" a nurse asked.   
  
"I hope so. Where can I find Carol and Tess Hathaway?"  
  
"Carol is taken to the NICU for a neurological test. The transmission wasn't the best thing for her right now. She fell into a deeper coma".  
  
"Oh my God….. Do…do you think she will be okay again?"  
  
The nurse shook her head. "No one knows. The possibility of brain damage is too high, so making a prognosis now would only be stupid".  
  
"I know. Hope can be cruel".  
  
"Exactly".  
  
"And Tess? Our daughter?"  
  
"Unfortunately she didn't take the transmission too well. She fell in a coma in the ambulance. It wasn't expected to happen".  
  
Doug could feel tears in his eyes. This wasn't the way the fairytale was supposed to end. If everything had gone as he had planned it, he'd taken his princess and their two little princesses home to his castle. Instead he was at Mercy trying to see his princesses who were in a coma fighting for their lives. The only one who he knew for sure that would be okay again was Kate.  
  
"Can I see them?" he asked while he could feel his eyes were filled up with tears.  
  
"Of course. This way".  
  
Doug followed the nurse. "This is the room where your daughter's lying. You can see her first because the doctors are taking some more tests on Carol right now".  
Doug nodded and when they entered the room where Tess was lying without any signs of life, tears came running down his cheeks. The machines that kept his little daughter alive kept beeping, and for the first time Doug realised how annoying they were.   
  
"I'll leave you two alone and when Carol's finished, an other nurse will come and get you".  
  
"Thank you".  
  
The nurse left Doug alone with Tess. When he looked at her, it looked like she was sleeping. He lifted his hand and touched the little girl's hand. It was so warm and soft. Just by looking at the little chest that went up and down very fast made him cry. He couldn't lose her now. He'd already lost 5 months and if she died he wouldn't have gotten another chance to make that up. When he thought back at the day when Carol had told him about the twins for the first time, he could remember how scared he first was. But now, a year later, he realised how happy he was to have two daughters. The thought of being a father had terrified him a little because he didn't think he'd be a good one but now he couldn't wait until he finally was a father to his girls. He wanted both of them, not only one, but there wasn't anything he could do now than pray.  
  
As the hours went by Doug was sitting by Tess' crib while Luka was with Abby in an other room. Luka took his hand and touch his pocket where the little box still was lying awaiting for Abby to wake up. Suddenly he felt someone squeeze his left hand and when he looked at it he could see Abby's hand on the top of it.  
  
"Abby?" he whispered. "Abby, honey, can you hear me?"  
  
He was waiting for another squeeze but when he didn't feel anything, he assumed that he was just dreaming or something. Very disappointed he put Abby's hand in his and squeezed it carefully, and then he felt Abby return the squeeze again.   
  
"Abby….Abby! Abby! Squeeze my hand, Abby!"  
  
To Luka's relief Abby squeezed his hand back and then she managed to open her eyes. "Oh my God….Abby….Abby…..I can't believe it", he said with tears in his eyes but also with a calm happiness. He could remember the last time he was this happy. He closed his eyes while he said "thank you" over and over again quietly. When he opened his eyes he could see that Abby was looking around in the room unaware of where she was. She didn't recognise the rooms. The only thing she knew for sure what was, was Luka. She wanted to speak, to tell Luka how much she loved him and how much she'd missed him. To her, being in a coma, didn't make much since right now, but instead she'd been having this long dream without Luka in it and she'd felt so lonely. But something that was stuck in her throat was preventing her from speaking.  
  
"Don't try to speak. You're intubated". Luka could see that Abby was confused, which was quite understandable. "You are at the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"  
  
Abby shook her head. "You…..You…", Luka began trying to find a way to tell Abby about her miscarriage. Just knowing that it would break her heart wanted him to tell her that everything was okay and that nothing had happened to her.   
  
"I'll get your doctor to extubate you and then I've got to talk to you".  
  
Luka left Abby and tracked down her doctor. When Abby was extubated her throat was soar but she was able to speak, and Luka knew he couldn't postpone it much longer. She had the right to know why she was in the hospital, not as a nurse but as a patient. "Did you know that you were pregnant?"  
  
"Pregnant?" she repeated quietly.  
  
Luka nodded while he looked at her with sad eyes. "Yeah, you fainted in the lounge. Malucci found you".  
  
"Is everything okay?"  
  
He could see tears in her eyes and he could feel them coming in his too. "No, I'm afraid not. You had an ectopic pregnancy".  
  
Abby starred at Luka before she looked down at her hands; they were shaking and sweaty. And then she looked up at Luka again. "The baby died, didn't it?"  
  
"Yes, it did", Luka said. "And we nearly lost you too. You scared me Abby".  
  
Abby smiled between the tears. "I'll try not to repeat it".  
  
"You better not", he laughed.  
  
"So…", Abby hesitated, afraid of the answer she possibly would get but also needed to know. "..am I…Is….How….Have…have I lost the ability to have…to have other children?"  
  
Luka shook his head and smiled. "No, dr. Benton and dr. Corday were brilliant. They stopped the bleedings in time so they didn't have to do a hysterectomy. It was very scary but you were strong".  
  
Suddenly Abby began to cry and Luka sat down next to her at the bed and put his arm around her. "Hey….Everything is okay now. You'll be fine".  
  
"Yeah, I….I know. It's just that I might have something to do with what happened".  
  
"What do you mean? An ectopic pregnancy is not something you can control. It just happens".  
  
"I know". Abby whipped away some tears. "Luka, I…I had an abortion two years ago, and I'm…I'm afraid that I can't have children because of that. I've always been so sure that I'll never have kids".  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because of my mother".  
  
"Your mother?" Luka didn't understand what she was talking about. "What is she to decide whether you should have children or not?"  
  
"She didn't exactly decide. My mother has bipolar disorders and I can give it to my kids. I've always thought that I wouldn't take that risk but now, after the thing that has happened today or whenever it was, made me realise that I want to take that chance after all".  
  
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I'd be more than happy to help you to take that risk", Luka said smiling childishly.  
  
"I love you", Abby said simply and Luka knew exactly what she meant.  
  
"I love you too". This is the time Luka said to himself and then he took the little box out of his pocket.  



End file.
